App lists are a dime a dozen. Most of the time, you go through them and realize that there’s nothing new for you. Doesn’t it seem like everyone is always parroting the same apps as everyone else? If so, we’ve got a surprise for you.

We’ve gone through and compiled a list — based on personal experience and user recommendations — of excellent Android apps that most people have never heard of. Just to be sure, we’ve limited the list to apps with fewer than 500,000 installs only. A fair number when you consider the Play Store’s global reach.

We’re confident that you haven’t heard of at least half of these apps, but what’s even better is that these apps will change your life. That’s how useful they are. If you don’t believe us, keep reading!

Or maybe you’re just bored and interested in chatting with strangers. That’s perfectly fine, too.

Wakie is the quickest way to find a chat partner for any kind of topic. All you have to do is pose a question and set a time, then someone from the Wakie community will call you at that time. That person could be from the United Kingdom, Brazil, or Morocco.

One neat way to use this app is to use it as a wake-up alarm. Someone will call you at the time you’ve set and the ensuing conversation, which can be as brief as a few seconds, will surely get your mind going.

It’s a dilemma that we’ve all faced, I’m sure, but the good news is that there’s a clean and spoiler-free solution that you can carry around in your pocket for free.

RunPee is an app that let’s you select a title to see which portions of the movie are “skippable”, allowing you to run and relieve yourself (or go buy more snacks at the concession stand) without missing anything important. That being said, RunPee will summarize what you missed so you stay in the loop.

The database is updated as films are released, so it might not be as useful if you tend to watch movies as they debut. But if you wait a day or two, RunPee will work just fine.

If you frequently travel through areas that make you feel unsafe, you must install SafeTrek. It will put you at ease, knowing that even if you are threatened or kidnapped, police will be dispatched even if you can’t dial an emergency number.

Here’s how it works: whenever you’re in an unsafe situation, you hold down the SafeTrek button (which shows on the device’s screen). When you feel safe again, you let go and input your unique 4-digit PIN and go about your merry way.

But if you let go and fail to enter the PIN, local police will be notified and dispatched to your location.

FastCustomer is a convenience tool for those who hate being put on hold when trying to connect with customer service — and I assume that includes all of us. This app bypasses all of that in a clever way.

It works like this: you tell FastCustomer which company you want to call and which department you want to connect with (e.g. billing). FastCustomer will handle all of that and wait on your behalf. When the next agent is available, FastCustomer will call you, and you take it from there.

It’s incredibly useful and will save you a lot of time. FastCustomer currently supports over 3,000 companies throughout the United States and Canada.

Going out to eat dinner with friends is always a treat, but tensions can arise when it comes time to split the bill. Who ordered what? How much tip and tax is everyone contributing? Or is it just easier to split the bill evenly between everyone?

With Tab, you won’t have to worry about any of that ever again.

All you have to do is take a photo of the bill and itemize everything that everyone ordered. If multiple people have the Tab app, they can do it individually and Tab will keep everyone in sync with each other. Individual items can be split between multiple people too, in cases of sharing and such.

Then, tax and tip are split proportionally based on how much each person spent in relation to everyone else. Easy, right? The only downside is that Tab is only available in the United States for now, though they do have plans to expand in the future.

If you live with roommates, you know how troublesome it can be to split bills and household supplies. Splitwise is the perfect tool for handling all of that. Not only does it keep everything fair, but it relieves some of the tension that can come from bill-nagging and such.

Not only does it split up financial responsibilities, Splitwise can also be used to track debts amongst each other. If you paid for everyone’s lunch and expect reimbursement, Splitwise tracks it. No longer will you have to deal with unnecessary accounting.

That’s the basis behind Happier, the app that combines the concept of a gratitude journal with community, resulting in an easy way to simultaneously exercise your thankfulness and bring smiles to the faces of others.

It’s simple: every day, keep track of the happy moments in your life no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. It won’t take long for you to actually begin wearing a happier state of mind.

Countable is the app for those who don’t have the time, energy, or desire to be involved in politics. Want to make a difference in your country without leaving the comfort of your home? With this app, you can.

For obvious reasons, Countable is only for the United States.

Countable provides summaries of the latest bills and issues that come through Congress (both House and Senate). These summaries include arguments for and against said bills, along with legislation costs and how these bills personally affect you.

Not sure where your representatives stand? Countable gives you side-by-side comparisons between your representatives and yourself. If you want to keep your representatives accountable, you can even send them emails through the app.

The trick to Pzizz is that it generates a slightly different — but different all the same — soundtrack every time you use it. This prevents your brain from “getting used to” the guided relaxation audio, thus keeping it effective no matter how often you use it.

Soundtrack generation can be configured to your liking, and time durations can be adjusted as well. Use it for an 8-hour overnight slumber or for a 15-minute power nap; it will help either way.

Share Your Hidden Gem Apps

With millions of apps on the Play Store, it’s hard to find ones that are awesome yet still undiscovered — but we know they’re out there, and we need your help to find them.

Did these apps change your life? What other lesser-known Android apps are out there? If you know of any hidden gems, let us know in the comments below!

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Adrian

February 10, 2017 at 12:08 am

Pocket (www.getpocket.com)

Website, Android & iOS app, and Chrome extension. Lets you save articles for later reading (offline, even), and has good sharing feature to share an article, with an optional excerpt of your choosing, and either recommend within Pocket, email, share with contacts who also use Pocket, and share on Facebook and/or Twitter. You can tag articles for organization, too. Free version is pretty powerful, but there's a premium one I haven't tried.

Regarding RunPee, in addition to pee times, another great feature is that they tell you if there is anything to watch after the credits. I don't always use the pee times, but always use the "Anything after the end credits?" They also have a "Running late?" synopsis of the first three minutes of the movie. There is a lot more to the app and if you go to the movies often this is a great one to have .

Flynx browser because I hate advertisement.
Cover lock screen. Smart and simple (hidden gem: shortcut for camera in landscape)
Shush because usually I forget return from silent mode.
Timely is better way to set alarm and timer.
Truecaller can recognize "spam" caller. (e.g. DM)

IF is a well-known app but it can give SMS reminder to calendar (or any other app). This has just removed from Google. I get notification from all app and I can't recognise any important event.

I don't think there are any "life changing" apps that apply to everyone. Each person finds value in apps differently. With that said, some non-music Android apps that I find highly valuable include Podkicker, CamScanner, and Textra (all free). Before it was closed down, Umano was also in this category.